Kickstarter Coming to the U.K. this Fall

Kickstarter, the New York-based crowdfunding platform for creative projects, is coming to the United Kingdom this fall, the company announced via Twitter.

Although donors from around the world can contribute to Kickstarter projects, campaign creators must use a U.S. bank account — for the next few months, at least. Kickstarter’s use of Amazon Payments, which until recently was restricted the U.S., previously limited opportunities for regional expansion.

Launched in April 2009, Kickstarter has helped fund more 26,000 projects. Last year, the platform garnered about $100 million in pledges. Eight Kickstarter projects have raised more than $1 million — the most recent being Ouya, the Android powered game console, which smashed through the $1 million bar in a record-setting eight hours and 22 minutes.

While not unexpected, Kickstarter’s journey across the pond will surely be a blow to Indiegogo, a popular crowdfunding platform with global reach. With a fresh $15 million cash infusion on hand, however, Indiegogo is determined to regain its prior dominance in the crowdfunding space. Indiegogo CEO Slava Rubin recently said he is “excited” by the JOBS Act’s crowdfunding exemption, hinting at a possible implementation of equity-based crowdfunding on the platform.

When reached for comment about Kickstarter’s international plans, a company representative declined to comment, but promised that more information is in the pipeline. We’ll bring that to you as soon as we have it. Stay tuned.

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